Love Born of Pity Chapter 55

Do Yeonjae gazed at Kwon Jiho’s flushed cheeks and straightened his rumpled clothes. After carefully wiping the semen from his palm with a handkerchief, he gently smoothed Kwon Jiho’s furrowed brow. He pulled Kwon Jiho’s head closer, kissed his cheek, and told him to get some sleep.

Kwon Jiho bit his lip, conscious of the uncomfortable fullness in his lower abdomen and the semen that threatened to leak out if he relaxed. Feeling Do Yeonjae’s gaze, he nodded and slowly moved his body. Every time he blinked, moisture trailed from his wet lashes.

“Have a good trip.”

“Eat dinner.”

“…Okay.”

His body, still warm with lingering heat, slumped against Do Yeonjae. Do Yeonjae pressed his lips repeatedly against the nape of Kwon Jiho’s neck and nuzzled his face against the skin saturated with his pheromones. Even though he was aware of Manager Kim’s presence outside the window, he couldn’t bring himself to let Kwon Jiho go. He desperately wanted to carry him inside like this.

“Go on in now.”

Do Yeonjae got out of the car after Kwon Jiho and walked him to the front door. Manager Kim sighed quietly as he watched Do Yeonjae act as if he were leaving for days, when he was only going to his family home for a few hours. He honestly felt they were already late and wondered why Do Yeonjae was being so leisurely.

“Sir, we have to leave now.”

“I know.”

Do Yeonjae waved to Kwon Jiho, who bowed his head as he entered the house, and finally turned away. He quickly descended the stone steps, got into the car, and let out a deep sigh. Then, as if realizing something, he exclaimed, “Ah!”

“I need to install some cameras in the house.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Let’s get this done as soon as possible. I’ll install them everywhere, including the bedroom. Why didn’t I think of this before?”

“You’re going to install them in the bedroom, too?”

Manager Kim, who had been keeping his eyes on the road, turned his head in surprise. Do Yeonjae stroked his chin and replied indifferently.

“I just said I would. Which part did you not understand, Manager Kim?”

“…I’ll look into it right away.”

“I’ll install them in the bathroom and dressing room connected to the bedroom as well. Make sure there are no blind spots. It doesn’t matter how many we install.”

“Yes, sir.”

Do Yeonjae’s expression relaxed, as if he felt relieved after making the decision. Looking at the quickly passing scenery outside the window, he wondered what Kwon Jiho was doing. Was he washing up? Since he hadn’t been able to clean himself properly, he was probably struggling.

Just imagining Kwon Jiho’s slender fingers pushing into his hole to remove the semen he’d deposited made Do Yeonjae’s lower body tighten. The image of Kwon Jiho’s face, stopping himself from coming with his own hand to avoid soiling his shirt, flickered before his eyes. Do Yeonjae covered his eyes with his hand and spoke.

“Kang Gyumin…”

“I heard she arrived 30 minutes ago.”

“I’m tired, and I have no appetite.”

Do Yeonjae wished he could just get married quickly so he wouldn’t have to be summoned to his family home anymore. Should he have scheduled it for this fall instead of next spring? The marriage with Kang Gyumin was just a formality for appearances anyway. They weren’t going to live together, so what did it matter if it was this year or next?

He’d told Kwon Jiho that there would be times when he’d be away from home, but he was certain that wouldn’t happen. Do Yeonjae, planning to take Kwon Jiho on his honeymoon, intended to provide Kang Gyumin with his sperm as soon as possible. If they timed artificial insemination with her heat, there was a high probability that Kang Gyumin would get pregnant, and once she had a child, the pressure regarding a successor would disappear.

“I hope she can get pregnant easily, even though she’s been around.”

“…Excuse me? Who… Who are you referring to…?”

Manager Kim couldn’t tell if “been around” referred to Do Yeonjae or Kang Gyumin. Or both?

“Who else? Kang Gyumin, of course. I didn’t know there were people in this circle who didn’t know about her reputation. Or are you pretending not to know out of respect for my future spouse?”

“…I apologize.”

“I hope she gets pregnant on the first try. I’m worried.”

“Since Director Kang has dominant traits, wouldn’t it be possible if the timing is right with her heat?”

Manager Kim answered earnestly. As if that was the answer he’d been hoping for, Do Yeonjae smiled brightly.

“Right? That’s what you think too, Manager Kim? These days, I often wonder if it would have been nice if Kwon Jiho were an omega.”

“Ah, Mr. Kwon Jiho as an omega?”

“I think I could adore and raise a child born from Kwon Jiho, since he’s so beautiful. Even though I’m marrying Kang Gyumin, of course.”

Manager Kim smiled awkwardly, hiding his bewildered expression. Who would welcome a child born from Kwon Jiho? What if his family found out? The mere thought was terrifying.

Besides, he was saying this now, but would he feel the same later? Kwon Jiho was beautiful now, but could he guarantee it would remain unchanged? The future was uncertain.

“I’ve never cared about children, and the thought of a child out of wedlock was horrifying, but with Kwon Jiho, I feel like anything would be fine. I’m crazy, aren’t I?”

“…But a child is… Yes, it’s a matter you need to consider carefully and decide on…”

At his serious reply after a long pause, Do Yeonjae chuckled as if he found it absurd.

“Kwon Jiho is a beta. He can’t get pregnant no matter how much I cum inside him. That’s why I can even entertain such thoughts.”

“Ah, right. Was I being too serious? I apologize.”

Manager Kim smiled, matching Do Yeonjae’s light, joking tone. Do Yeonjae rested his chin on his hand, looking out the window, and thought of Kwon Jiho. He wasn’t bored for a moment on his way to his family home, as his mind was occupied with thoughts of what Kwon Jiho might be doing.

At the same time, Kwon Jiho collapsed as soon as he closed the front door, his legs giving way. As his head dropped, a nosebleed started. He was relieved it hadn’t happened during sex and soiled Do Yeonjae’s clothes.

The more pheromones he received, the more frequent his symptoms became. The nosebleeds, the blurry vision, the muffled hearing as if his ears were submerged in water. Taking the suppressants didn’t stop the nosebleeds from happening.

Kwon Jiho covered his nose with his hand and slowly stood up. As he neatly took off his shoes, he checked where the drops of blood had fallen and went inside. The bedroom was too far, so he headed to the bathroom in the living room.

He washed his face with cold water and pinched his nose until the bleeding stopped. Having learned from several experiences that a light touch wasn’t enough, he squeezed hard until his nose turned red.

“…Ha… I’m dizzy.”

Perhaps because his stomach was empty, or perhaps because of the nosebleed caused by the pheromones, he felt nauseous. The flush in his cheeks had completely faded, leaving only pallor. After confirming that the bleeding had stopped, he washed his face again, grabbed some tissues, and returned to the entrance.

Kwon Jiho wiped the drying bloodstains as he thought. If he had another nosebleed during sex, would Do Yeonjae overlook it? Would he find it strange? Do Yeonjae wasn’t the type to show interest in others, but he was different with Kwon Jiho.

“Ha…”

How could he ask Do Yeonjae not to release his pheromones without raising suspicion? His worries deepened endlessly.

♬⋆.˚

Time passed quickly without him revealing anything. The seasons changed, and now a cool breeze blew in the mornings and evenings. The leaves on the branches were gradually turning red and yellow.

The change from summer to autumn didn’t significantly alter Kwon Jiho’s daily life. His relationship with Do Yeonjae remained the same, and he occasionally met with Kwon Heeyeon. Her recovery accelerated over time. She now looked almost like a slightly thin, average person. Her sunken cheeks had filled out considerably. After long and arduous rehabilitation, her discharge date was finally set.

During this time, Kwon Yoon-taek visited twice and demanded money. 1 million won, then 3 million won. Both times, the children were present. Kwon Jiho sent the money without complaint, afraid that his uncle’s thuggish boyfriend would cause a scene. It was the money he’d saved to give to Kwon Heeyeon after her discharge.

He couldn’t tell Do Yeonjae about this either. Kwon Jiho always smiled and said nothing had happened when Do Yeonjae asked, with surprising tenderness, how his day was.

“What are you thinking about?”

“…Yes?”

“It’s our first time having breakfast together in a while, but our Mr. Kwon Jiho isn’t focused.”

“Ah, it’s not that… I think Heeyeon will be discharged soon.”

Kwon Jiho steadily moved his chopsticks, picking up a side dish. He slowly chewed, contemplating his next words.

“Director.”

“Yes?”

“Um… When Heeyeon is discharged, I have to live with her—”

“No.”

He was rejected before he could even properly finish his sentence. Kwon Jiho put down his spoon and chopsticks, searching for the right words to persuade him.

“Couldn’t it be just for a while? She’s never lived alone before, so she’ll be scared.”

“Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“She’s still young…”

“I said no. What about the house?”

He’d cleared his morning schedule, intending to spend a leisurely and passionate time with Kwon Jiho after a long while, so why was the topic shifting to Kwon Heeyeon? He was extremely annoyed.

Having witnessed in real-time the guilt Kwon Heeyeon instilled in Kwon Jiho, Do Yeonjae felt intense anger at the fact that Kwon Jiho was visiting Kwon Heeyeon at the hospital from time to time. He couldn’t even stand those short visits, so living together was out of the question. Do Yeonjae’s gaze towards Kwon Jiho sharpened.